The Life and Death of Legends
by JustCallMeMarly
Summary: Anamaria comes upon a “situation” and must come to terms with it… [Oneshot]


**_A/N – Completely unrelated to the "Renegade" story arc. The idea was inspired by the Josh Groban song "Remember Me" off the _****_Troy_****_ soundtrack (I LOVE that song – and Eric Bana, but that's a whole 'nother piece o' pie!). And before it gets your back up, this is NOT a song fic. I don't DO those... 'cept every other blue moon or something. ANYway… enjoy!_**

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The Life and Death of Legends

"Cap'n… there's naught left but kindling… _Cap'n_?" a voice broke into the haze that had overtaken Anamaria. She looked over at her first mate and gave a slight nod before turning her eyes back to the tell-tale splintered black wood that float just ahead of the _Disrepute_. It was all that remained of the _Black Pearl_.

"It looks as if Davey Jones' locker has claimed 'em all," her first mate continued. _So it would seem_. Ana sneered at her thought as she took in the wreckage of a supposed immortal legend that lay a few hundred yards away.

"Regardless, Witty, let's have a look. Lower the rows," she ordered, finally snapping into action and marching to her destination.

"Aye, Cap'n," the sailor responded and followed the woman towards the boats. The crew was loud as they all clamored about to get into the row boats, but Ana didn't hear anything. Her mind was giving its own moment of silence in mourning for a ship that had been her home for two years. And, since it seemed that there were no survivors, she mourned for the crew that had been her family and the one man that meant more to her than any had before. There would be time for tears later, in private. Now, she needed to search out what had happened. The _Pearl_ had only weighed anchor four short hours before the _Disrepute_.

"What're you supposin' did this?" Witty asked. Ana looked over at the bulky man.

"I've no idea. The watch didn't spot another set of sails. And from the way the ship is smoking, this couldn't have happened too long ago. And hour or two at most, it looks like," she said.

Ana had her men row around to the other side of the wreckage and it took everything in her to keep from scooping up and hugging a piece of her history as they floated by.

"Row ahoy, Cap'n," her first mate alerted her. Ana squinted through the smoldering rubble and could make out the form of a row boat. She wasn't sure what she expected to find. As they got closer, Ana let out a breath of relief at the familiar slim form that seemed to be reclining in the vessel. Next to him was the portly form that of Joshamee Gibbs.

"What have you done, you blasted scabberous dogs?!" Ana yelled out, causing Gibbs to jump slightly at her tone. Jack Sparrow did not flinch at her murderous tone, but he smiled as he tipped his hat up to rights on his head.

"Anamaria!" he cried in his usual way. He held out his hands in welcome. "Knew you'd be following in our wake…" Ana's eyes narrowed.

"Answer me question, Jack Sparrow," she growled. Jack looked around at the water surrounding them.

"It would seem there was a bit of a mishap," he said. Ana was about to give him another verbal lashing, but she saw a brief flicker of the grief the pirate was trying to suppress as he looked at the floating pieces of his ship.

"A _bit_ of a mishap? Jack, what bloody hell happened?" Ana asked as her rowboat pulled flush to Jack's.

"Well, Ana…" Gibbs started to explain, but Jack cut him off with a look.

"The _Pearl_ sunk," he said. Ana looked at him as if she couldn't believe that he was stating the extremely obvious.

"Where's the rest o' your crew?" Witty asked from next to Ana. Gibbs cleared his throat.

"Most made it to the rows. Cotton and the others started for land. We're only a few miles or so off one of the islands," the quartermaster said. Ana nodded in confirmation but stayed silent.

"I still want to know what you did to sink your ship, Jack," she said finally. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"Who said it was me who sunk it?" he asked.

"The _Pearl_ isn't _supposed_ to be at the bottom of the ocean. You know the stories, Jack," she said, eyeing the water again.

"Oh, aye. I know the stories. I started a good few of them meself," he said.

"It's supposed to be uncatchable. It's supposed to be unbeatable," she murmured.

"Well, luv… a legend doesn't become a legend until well after it's gone… Savvy?" he said. Ana rolled her eyes.

"Is that your defense?" she asked, crossing her arms and giving him an arch look.

"Defense?" he asked, perplexed. Ana gave him a look.

"Your _Pearl_ is well and good sunk. Did the Royals catch you unaware?" she asked, hinting at the situation being more than the simple sacrifice he was making it out to be. Jack let a hand wave in front of him.

"Are you suggesting, luv, that _Captain_ Jack Sparrow and his famous _Black Pearl_ were overtaken by the Royal Navy?" he asked, incredulous at such a thought.

"Fine then… treacherous rivals intent upon your treasure? Mutinous crew wanting your ship? Murderous scallywags after you for the sole purpose of the glory of ridding the waters of Jack Sparrow? Sea monsters smashing it to bits? What's it to be?" she asked. Jack sat up straight.

"Those are nice stories, are they not?" he commented with a golden grin.

"Come Jack… the truth of it," she demanded. Jack's grin fell as he let out a pained sigh.

"The truth is so much more dull than what we could imagine…" he said, avoiding her stare. "I could well do with some rum…" Ana crossed her arms and restrained her self from jumping into the other row boat and strangling the man.

"You're going to tell me," she said.

"I've a mind not to, luv," he said with a grin, knowing full well that he was making her angry.

"_Jack_…" she growled. Jack just continued to grin cheekily.

"_Captain_ Jack, luv," he said. This time, Witty had to hold Ana back, causing Gibbs to chuckle. It took a moment for Ana to gather her wits. Her dark eyes locked onto the pirate.

"Not much of a captain now, are you?" she said seriously. Jack looked out at the water again.

"Nothing that can't be remedied, luv," he said. Ana watched him as he brushed off her attempted concern with his usual bravado. Rather than try to talk about it, Ana decided to change subjects.

"We'd best be after your crew. Rumor has it, the islands in this area usually play port to the Royals," she said as she ordered her men to row back towards the ship. Jack and Gibbs quickly jumped over, the latter taking up an oar and the former causing the vessel to sway with his swaggering.

"Sit down, you lout! You'll tip us and then where will we be?" Ana reprimanded him. Jack sat down.

"Me guess would be 'all wet'…" he said. Ana glared at him and turned to the men rowing.

"Row faster or we'll find ourselves quick without a passenger," she said. Jack cocked his head to one side and gave her an appraising look.

"You wouldn't do that to your pal Jack now, would you?" he asked. Ana's eyebrow rose.

"I've more than half a mind to smack you right now, if I could. But it being that I can't just yet, throwing you over would be me next option," she told him. Jack just smirked as he sat back and waited for the short journey to be over.

"Fine, be that way then," he grumbled good-naturedly. The hell-cat captain had been friendly enough at the last port that he could take his due lumps. And it wasn't as if this were a normal, everyday situation so he could certainly be magnanimous enough to let Ana's mood slide this time.

It took a short while to get the rowboat full of pirates back aboard the _Disrepute_ and preparing to set sail. Ana took a few moments to bark out orders in her usual, terse manner, but then directed her attention back to the two men she'd had the misfortune – and eternal frustration - of rescuing.

"I believe you were going to tell me a tale?" Ana prompted as she stepped next to the two men. Jack and Gibbs looked at each other.

"Best she be hearin' it from us than from anyone else," Gibbs said.

"All right, all right. I'll tell you the bloody story. Mangus Blivey, our new man, was below decks taking stock of the arsenal and making sure the canons were in order. We were planning on making a – ahem – stop on the way to Tortuga. The sorry excuse of a pirate dropped his light, set the blasted cannon off and set the place afire. The blighter blew a hole in the bottom of me ship. Before the crew knew what had happened, we had already dropped halfway into the Caribbean. Gibbs called to abandon ship before the fire reached the munitions hold… and now, you see before you what a single man can reduce a ship to…" he said, a hand indicating the wreckage. Ana didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of the story, to rage at the stupidity, or to cry at loss of something she and every pirate that had sailed on the _Pearl__'s_ decks held dear.

"Of all the ways for our girl to go… I'd never have thought this," Gibbs said sadly.

"Certainly not as grand as it should have been," Jack agreed.

"That seems to be the way of most legends, though," Ana commented. She held out her hands and gave the two pirates what they longed for most.

"Ah… _rum_," Jack said happily as he took the carafe and took a healthy swig. "I could have used you earlier today. There's a frightening lot that I'd like to forget…" Gibbs looked at the bottle in his hands and gave Ana a wry smile.

"I'll go pickle me liver after setting your man to rights on the way to Cotton and the crew," he said. Ana chuckled.

"Best be careful, he's almost as big as you and not nearly as pleasant," she warned. Gibbs toasted her with his rum and made his way to the helm. Ana turned to Jack and studied him for a moment as he continued to absorb the rum.

"You two could have taken off with the crew, your row wasn't damaged. What were you and Gibbs hanging about for?" she asked softly. Jack watched Gibbs walk away.

"We were sayin' good-bye, luv. That ship's been me life for over ten years. Ever since me hand first laid itself on the helm, it's been a part of me. And Gibbs… well, if anyone could love that hull more'n me, he'd be the one close enough," he said. Ana took the rum from Jack's hands and took a swig of her own.

"She was a good ship, Jack," Ana said solemnly as she handed Jack's drink of choice back to him and they looked out over the water. Jack nodded, his many ornaments punctuating each movement.

"Aye, that she was. I'll miss her like no other," he lamented. Ana wrapped her arm through his and lay her cheek on his shoulder. They stood in silence for a moment, Jack relishing Ana's comforting touch, before she stood straight and let her arm drop.

"We're almost to Tortuga… and with the clouds coming in, we'd best be sailing quick," she said as she made her way up the stairs to join Gibbs and Witty.

"I suppose you'll want to go find a new ship…" Ana called to him from the helm. Jack turned to look up at her with a grin.

"Aye… I'm in the market, as it were," he told her.

"The whelp and his missus will not be pleased with you when they find out about the _Pearl_. I'll wager the whelp himself is a better sailor than who you had," she said, watching him closely as he approached.

"Ah, well… the whelp needn't know the truth now, savvy?"

And so, the nefarious and insurmountable legend of the _Black Pearl_ lived on…

_The End_

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**_A/N2: To those who know me, you don't need to tell me (and yell at me) that I have this fixation for sinking the _****Pearl****_. I know I do, and for some reason, I can't stop! It's unexplainable. I guess I just have to live with the affliction. Anyways, please let me know what you thought of this! (and I already know that I sunk the _****Pearl****_… :P)_**


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